What is the Palestinian Interest?

A week ago or so I had an interesting discussion with a Palestinian friend of mine and we exchanged pleasantries in Arabic before continuing in Swedish. My friend believes that a two-state solution will bring peace. So I humbly explained to him that this was not the Palestinian interest. First this is not how Palestinian leaders conceptualize Palestinian interests. Second a Palestinian state would turn Judea and Samaria into a second Gaza only ten times worse at same time as unseating the Hashemites in Jordan leading to regional war. This is where genocidal Palestinian leaders who promote the Jihadist martyrdom cult leads the Palestinians. Of course they don’t believe that a two-state solution will bring peace. They will never negotiate and sign an end-of-claims final status agreement because they believe this is contrary to the Palestinian interest which they conceptualize as the destruction of the Jewish state and therefore will 1) not cede the claim of ”return”, 2) recognize the legitimacy of Jewish statehood and 3) accept defensible borders which are absolute prerequisites for lasting peace. The essential question is therefore, why would anyone seeking to alleviate Palestinian suffering (which btw is entirely self-inflicted) want to promote the creation of a Palestinian state, something which would inevitably result in a second Nakba due to the level and intensity of conflict? Rather, in my view, the real Palestinian interest is to fight terrorism and antisemitism, end the Jihadist cult of martyrdom among Palestinians and educate Palestinian society for peace and coexistence with the Jewish state. But that is not what is happening and that is why Palestinian statehood is such a toxic idea in the absence of comprehensive de-radicalization throughout Palestinian society. Btw, this is not a pipe dream, de-radicalization is very successful in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates so why not in Palestinian society as well?

Published by Daniella Bartfeld

Daniella Bartfeld is the founding director of the Aliyah Organization.

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